Streaming March Madness

Seeing as we have cut the cable cord, the only games I can watch of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on TV are the ones broadcast by the local CBS affiliate. But because I have high speed internet, I can watch any game I want on my PC right from the NCAA’s web site. Full screen and in HD too.

Funny thing though, last night I was watching a game that was broadcast on TruTV when I noticed a To Log In: button with “Select TV Provider” written on it. I clicked it and to my surprise there was an Atlantic Broadband selection, unlike when I tried ESPN3, so I picked it and logged in with my email address and password. The video disappeared and was replaced by a “You do not have the proper TV package to view this game” text.

It was correct, as I don’t have any TV package, but once I logged out, I could watch any of the games on TruTV, TBS or TNT. So why log in?

Fan

Fan

There wasn’t much work done on Friday contractor-wise. They did get the bottom molding on the wall cabinets added. Donna and I are very pleased with the results, makes a nice little accent. Kind of tough to see in tonight’s new photo, but trust me, it’s a nice touch. They also made sure all the base cabinets were locked down for the counter top measurement that was scheduled for late that afternoon.

The fellow from the granite shop showed up at quarter after four and spent the next 45 minutes guiding a laser beam a 1/2 above the base cabinets with a tablet. And then when he was through with that high tech procedure, he broke out a tape measure to double check.

Today I hung up our ceiling fan. It was kind of tricky and I almost didn’t leave myself enough wire to hook it up. When I first hung it on the eye bolt I screwed into the joist, the finish piece I added to cover the electrical box in the ceiling didn’t fully cover the hole in the ceiling. What at first seemed like a problem was really a non-issue as the small cover looked out of balance in comparison to the large motor on the caged fan. The solution to both problems was to buy an eight dollar 10″ Bronze Ceiling Medallion.

We then held up our chosen pendant light over the sink and while both of us loved the light when we bought it, now seeing it in its natural habitat, it was too big. We took it back to Home Depot where we got it and went to look at their other pendant lights for possible replacements. We picked something out we liked, but didn’t buy it because we still had to go to Lowe’s for another thing so we wanted to see what they had.

At Lowe’s we eyed several options and final settled on a nice frosted cylinder for the glass. But we couldn’t find a matching wired or pole topper that fit the shade. Turns out we never would, the glass shade we picked was mis-shelved, it was the type that went with wall mounted fixtures. The same shaped glass in gloss white finish made an acceptable back up choice. Even though the pendant won’t be hanging very low, we didn’t put it up for fear of being in the way for the counter top install next Friday.

Miscommunication

Kitchen

Recess lighting is in, all the cabinets are locked in and almost all the handles are on. Tomorrow’s agenda is the rest of the handles, finishing up installing the toe kick finish pieces and the light rail* molding needs put up. Plus running the plumbing line for the ice maker to the fridge’s new spot.

We have this really cool ceiling fan for the kitchen: allen + roth 20-in Valdosta Dark Oil Rubbed Bronze Outdoor Ceiling Fan. I wanted to mount it just like the photo shows except where the long power cord goes off into the distance, I wanted to put a plug near the fan end of the cord and plug it into a single outlet placed in the ceiling near the fan. I could see what I wanted in my mind’s eye, but what Donna saw in her mind’s eye was totally different. Tonight, she figured out what I saw and didn’t like it a bit. So we went to Lowe’s and then Home Depot until we could find a solution that the two of us could live with. Now to explain it to the contractor…

*or what ever they call that extra accent piece of molding that runs around the bottom of the upper cabinets is called.

Starting To Look Like A Kitchen


The blue tape is Donna and I figuring out where we want the 3 dozen or so handles.

They not only finished the upper cabinets, they also finished up the back wall. Tomorrow will be the lower cabinets and dishwasher. This means that the counter top people can come on Friday to do their whole laser measuring thing. The counter top folks will be able to install a week earlier than the previous April 5th date.

Between measure and counter top install the contractor can put up the ceiling fan, the recess lights in the ceiling and the under cabinet lights, so after the counter top there will just be the back splash tile and some mop up work. Maybe by Tax Day we’ll have a kitchen.

You Can’t Rush Art

I know I’ve said it a million times, mostly in a manner Dr. Sheldon Cooper has trouble recognizing, but when it comes to kitchen cabinets, it is actually true.

They didn’t get as far as I predicted and at this rate we will be lucky if they meet our imposed deadline of Friday. They did get the shelf on the left side mostly built and started the crown molding. partially finished the valance over the sink and hung the last two cabinets on the right. This still leaves finishing the valance, finishing the right hand shelf and the crown molding, which at the rate they are moving seems like a whole day’s work, before starting on the bottom cabinets. And there is still the back wall…

Twenty Four Days Later

Twenty Four Days Later

Twenty four days after the first upper cabinet was installed and then taken down, we finally had more put up. Hopefully for good this time. They got two walls of uppers and part of another in today. Tomorrow’s goal is to finish the 3rd wall, do the crown molding on those three and start work on the back/refrigerator wall.

The Miata has now been regulated to strictly a weekend car. We took the cover off on Friday night for Saturday’s MMC event and put the cover back on Sunday night. We were going to leave it off and drive it to work for the early part of the week, but then the forecast changed, so we decided to let it stay snuggled up for the supposedly wet week ahead.

There were a few new caches in the area that we went out and did yesterday. A couple were mystery/puzzle caches that involved something called a Jefferson Disk that at first glance appeared to be complex just for the sake of complexity, but in the end turned out to be the most fun we’ve had geocaching in a while.

Those caches involved a bit of bushwacking and I of course was in shorts, so I came out of the woods with a few thorn stabs dripping blood. A walk off the trail here may be mildly dangerous, but compared to Texas it is literally a walk in the park. Every plant in the west Texas dessert is out to kill you. Not just the cactus either, if you take a closer look at any plant out there or make the mistake of brushing up against one, you realize quickly that heavy denim pants are the only real option for attire bloodless geocaching.

Spring?

The MMC went for breakfast this morning by attending the 3rd annual North Augusta Optimist Club’s Pancake Breakfast. One Miata just met at the church, but three of us met elsewhere and made a little trip of it. The Club President was chauffeured to the event in a Limo by the First Lady as he is not allowed to drive for a couple more weeks, POTMC had a knee replaced 10 days ago.

According to the countdown timer on Weather.com we still have 3 days and a couple hours before it is officially spring, but today sure felt like spring here. The Bradford Pear trees are covered in white blossoms and some of the azaleas are blooming. In our travels today we saw several convertibles, most had their tops down, but some did not, I wonder what they were waiting on?

Started up, went down, went up, back down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1205